We’ve recently taken a look at identifying renovation decision fatigue and if possible how to avoid getting it in the first place. But what do you do if you’re already suffering from it? How can you overcome it?
When you get the feeling that you just want to walk out the door and never look at your renovation again EVER, it’s actually not such a bad idea. Because number one on the list of things to do to overcome it is to take a break.
Take a Break
Now, I’m not talking about disappearing for months on end, leaving the renovation at a standstill. It doesn’t need to be that extreme. One of the biggest problems is that you feel like you’re under such enormous pressure to get things done, everything else in your life fades into the background.
It’s vital to stop, take a deep breath, and find something else to focus on, even if it’s as small as going out to dinner with your partner (where you DON’T talk about renovation decisions you need to make!) or taking your kids for a walk to a local park. Maybe a weekend away. Even just walking around the block, breathing deeply and focussing on nature can be enough to reset your brain.
Make a List
This actually has two parts. The first is to do a brain dump of absolutely everything you need to do or make a decision about it. And then make each task on that list as small as possible – so don’t write “paint the bathroom” – break it up into smaller tasks like choose the colour, work out how much paint is needed, buy the paint, fill holes, sand walls, undercoat walls etc.
While that sounds a little counter-intuitive or overwhelming, because now you can see all the things you have to do and it’s most likely a VERY long list, it does actually help. Why? Because one of the biggest factors in renovation decision fatigue is you just have so many things racing around inside your brain at once, it’s exhausting. Your thinking is along the lines of “Now, I need to get the bathroom painted, so I need to choose a colour, then buy the paint, and while I’m there I should buy paint for the main bedroom too, so I need to choose the colour for that, but doesn’t that depend on….?”
Clearing out the clutter in your brain and seeing it all on a list gives you a lot of clarity. It also makes it easier for you to see tasks that can be grouped together and so leads to efficiencies like going to the hardware store once instead of five times. Plus ticking things off a list makes you feel like you’re making progress – because you are!
Ask For Support
Sometimes you just need someone to lend you their ears for a little while and let you express how you feel about the renovation. They don’t necessarily have to jump in with a paintbrush and physically help – but giving you a safe space to talk about how you’re feeling is invaluable. They may even be able to help you out with step 1 – take a break.
Hopefully this has given you some ideas about how to overcome renovation decision fatigue – and there’s plenty more to come in part 2!